I'll Watch Your Back
by snickering
Summary: May Zedong was one of the best snipers at Shade Academy, but a terrible accident changed everything. A story about how May lost her left eye, the struggles she faced as a result of her injury, and the bonds that supported her on the road to recovery.
1. Chapter 1

**I'll Watch Your Back**

* * *

Chapter 1

May Zedong looked through the scope of her sniper rifle and scanned the terrain. From her spot on top of the hill, she had a perfect view of the surrounding area. The landscape below her was dry and nearly barren, with the only foliage being the shrubs that dotted the rocky desert. In the distance she could see the two cliffs that marked the entrance of a large canyon. Leaving her scope, May briefly looked up, shielding her eyes with her left hand. The blazing sun was high in the sky, casting an unrelenting heat across the desert. There wasn't a cloud in sight. Not a living thing was in sight either. Any animals that made their home in the region had likely taken shelter from the harsh conditions.

Which was perfect, as her targets were anything but living.

Returning to her scope, May scanned the horizon once more, keeping both eyes open. There were other snipers at Shade Academy who preferred to close one eye when shooting, but she liked to use both. That way, while her right eye was looking through the scope, her left eye could still see what was happening in front of her. It gave her better situational awareness, and made it easier to track her targets.

May searched the terrain for any signs of movement, but nothing stirred. For several minutes, May waited patiently, before her attention was drawn to movement coming from the east. She panned her scope over to a group of figures marching through the sand. Black hides with white, bony plating. Two hind legs and a tail. Red eyes and markings.

Grimm.

A buzzing sound came from the left pocket of her hoodie. She reached in and took out her Scroll. A quick look at the caller I.D. confirmed it was her team leader on the other end. She quickly accepted the call.

"May, what do you see?" asked Brawnz.

"Creeps, coming in from the east, about 600 meters away" she replied.

"How many?"

"Eight."

"Can you make the shot?"

May grinned. "Yes."

She ended the call and took aim once more. Team BRNZ was out on a training mission for the weekend. Brawnz had brought them out here to practice some battle formations. After all, they were going to be representing Shade Academy in the upcoming Vytal Festival. They needed to be at their best.

May was the sniper of the team, so she had the rear. One of her jobs was to support her teammates and provide cover fire.

 _The other job…_

May aimed her sniper rifle and zeroed in on the Creep at the head of the pack.

… _was a bit more fun._

 _Shoot._ She pulled the trigger and the air in front of her exploded with a flash of purple. A Dust bullet leapt from her rifle's barrel and flew across the landscape.

A moment later the Creep's head rocked violently backwards as her shot found its mark. _Hit._

As one of their own crumpled to the ground, the other Creeps raised their heads and roared in rage. Even from the all way over there, she could still hear their anger. It didn't matter though, as she was too far away for the Grimm to do anything about her.

Moving her scope onto her next target, May squeezed the trigger. _Shoot. S_ he repeated again, her own personal ritual. When that shot ripped through the bony head of the second Creep, she completed the ritual once more, _Hit._

Either in panic or realisation, the remaining six Creeps started running towards her as their fallen pack members began to dissolve into smoke. Looking down, she could see three human figures running to meet them.

Brawnz Ni, their leader, was front and center. To his right was May's own partner, Nolan Porfirio, and to his left was Roy Stallion. The pack of Creeps were closing in fast. While stubby looking and not much bigger than the average human, the lizard-like Creeps had powerful legs and could cover large distances in short bursts. Judging from their speed, May guessed they would reach her teammates in only a minute. While the three of them had better odds fighting six Creeps than eight, they were still outnumbered. She needed to thin the pack a bit more.

As her teammates ran to meet the Creeps, May moved from target to target, squeezing ever so slightly each time her scope steadied on one of the approaching Grimm.

 _Shoot. Hit. Shoot Hit._ She repeated to herself methodically as two of the Creeps were struck, rolling away in the sand. The remaining four Grimm, undeterred that member after member of their pack were being struck down, continued their charge. She watched as the distance between her teammates and the Creeps quickly vanished, with the leading Creep making a lunge towards them.

Brawnz, having anticipated the move, jumped up and brought his right metal claw down onto the Creep's head. The creature crashed into the ground, its momentum carrying it a few meters away. To his left, Roy was throwing his saw blades at another approaching Creep, knocking it to the side as he rolled out of the way of an attack from another. Similarly, Nolan dodged an attack coming from the fourth Creep.

After that initial clash, one of the Creeps was lying on the ground, making the odds an even 3 on 3. The remaining three Creeps began to circle around Brawnz, Roy, and Nolan, who were huddled together back to back. To the Grimm it probably seemed like they had managed to trap the three humans. But the determination on her teammates' faces made it clear who was actually being hunted.

After a moment, one of the Creeps made another charge towards Nolan, who responded by ducking and delivering a quick whack at the Grimm's legs. Roy ran forward, spinning with his arms outstretched and repeatedly slamming his saw blades into another Creep. Behind him, Brawnz was holding open the jaws of a Creep that seemingly wanted a bite out of the Huntsman-in-training.

May looked at the scene, waiting for a sign that she would need to help her teammates. A flash of light brought May's attention to Nolan, who was standing over a quivering Creep, his cattle prod crackling with electricity. As Nolan prepared to finish off his opponent, May caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of her eye; the first Creep was getting off the ground. With red eyes full of hate underneath its cracked head, the Creep jumped towards the first target in sight, her partner's unguarded back. Taking aim, May shot the Grimm mid-jump, Nolan turned quick enough to see the creature land on the ground to his right, dissolving into black smoke. _Shoot. Hit._

Shifting her attention once more to the others, she saw that the two were faring quite well against their respective opponents. Brawnz had managed to throw his Creep onto the ground next to him and, before it could get up, drove his claws into its soft underbelly. Roy had also slain his target, which lay dissolving behind him as he walked towards Brawnz. Checking on her partner once more, she saw Nolan giving her the thumbs up, a big smile on his face.

May lowered her sniper rifle, closed her eyes, and smiled to herself. Five _Shots. Five Hits. Five Kills._

* * *

"…For the last time Nolan, I'm not putting saw blades on my boots!" exclaimed an increasingly exasperated Roy.

"But you would have four saws, that's like twice as many saws!"

"Dude, how would I even use them?"

Nolan went silent, seemingly in deep thought. Sure enough, a moment later, he looked Roy dead in the eye with a raised finger and a deadpan expression. "What if you learn to breakdance?

"…You want me to dance my saws off?"

Nolan nodded. "That way you could launch your saws in a spinning motion," Nolan made a circle with his finger for emphasis, "and then send them at your opponent!"

Roy stared at Nolan with an incredulous look on his face as Nolan tried to explain the different ways Roy could launch, retrieve, and attack with his boot-saws. By the end of it Roy had covered his face with his hand and Brawnz was laughing loudly next to him. May tried to stifle a few giggles.

After the fight with the Creeps, the four of them had headed in the direction of the canyon she had seen earlier. When night came they decided to camp out by the entrance; they would enter it tomorrow for one more day of hunting before heading back to Shade. The four of them were huddled next to a campfire, eating their dinner and enjoying themselves.

May smiled as Nolan and Roy continued their debate on the effectiveness of "foot-held" weaponry. Her partner had his usual smirk on his face. Sometimes with Nolan it was hard to tell whether he was being serious or if he was just messing around. Even May still found it hard to distinguish between the two, despite having been his partner for a while now. Roy, however, could never tell the difference, so he was usually the one Nolan would mess with.

He also had the best reactions, she thought, as she saw Roy lifting his foot up and pointing defiantly at it.

May took another sip of her juice box and looked up at the night sky. It was clear tonight, and the stars were out. There were so many of them, sparkling together up there. And they were far away, so unbelievably far away that she couldn't even begin to judge the distance. She was a sniper, so the idea of not being able to tell how far away something was made her anxious. How would she be able to hit something if she didn't know where it was?

"Hey May, are you ok?"

May jumped at the sudden mention of her name, squeezing her juice box tightly in the process. This, however, sent the remainder of the drink down her throat, causing her to go into a coughing fit. In between the coughs, she realized that her teammates were staring at her. After a few more coughs, and a flush not entirely due to the exertion, she covered her mouth with her right sleeve and looked sheepishly at her them.

"Y-Yes?" she asked, hoping the blush on her cheeks wasn't showing.

Brawnz chuckled and smiled at her. "We were just thanking you for having our backs today."

"That was some amazing sniping back there, May. Good thing you saw that Creep before it snuck up on me." Nolan laughed as he patted her on the back.

"Well _of course_ she saw it." Roy grinned. "She's the best sniper at Shade!"

"I-It was nothing really! Really, I just, well, umm…" May found herself increasingly flustered by the compliments. She felt her blush deepen and quickly pulled her black beanie down to cover her cheeks, which had surely gone from a light shade of pink to a scarlet red. Her teammates chuckled at her reaction.

Pulling her beanie back up just a little, May looked at her teammates again. "You _guuuuysss_ ," she whimpered with a pout. She didn't like to be in the spotlight, but she would be lying if she said the compliments didn't make her a little bit happy. Her teammates were all great fighters, but she had no combat finesse at all. What she did have was great accuracy, something she took pride in. While she couldn't be on the frontlines with her teammates, she could help them from the back.

Brawnz lightly punched her in the shoulder. "Okay team, we should get some rest, we've got a long day tomorrow. Remember the plan, we head into the canyon and take out the Grimm while May gives us cover. Sounds good?"

The three of them nodded in agreement.

Brawnz smiled and got up from his spot next to the campfire. "Great, I'll take the first watch tonight, Nolan, you mind taking the second?"

"No problem," Nolan replied.

"Alright. Get some rest guys." Brawnz walked away to begin his watch, while the rest of Team BRNZ got into their sleeping bags.

May took out her earphones and put them in, going through the song list on her Scroll before choosing one of the Achieve Men's latest singles. Her teammates always teased her about her taste in music. " _Humph, so what if I listen to the Achieve Men, they like to listen to Katy Peary."_

With her song playing, May moved around and got comfortable in her sleeping bag. She lay facing the campfire, which was still burning strong. May felt her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier as she watched the flames of the campfire dance in front of her. It was warm. By the time the song finished playing, she was fast asleep.

* * *

The first thing May did when she woke up in the morning was clean her weapon. The second thing she did was eat breakfast.

Like other snipers, May was superstitious. She did a ritual before and after every shot. She always wore her favorite beanie when on a mission. Most importantly though, her weapon had to be in tip-top shape every morning. May carefully disassembled her weapon, inspecting every component for damage after cleaning it. Her hands moved gracefully and meticulously, as they had a thousand times before. Her morning routine was only interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach. May quickly grabbed a granola bar from her bag before continuing.

When she was finished, May reassembled her rifle, loaded a new magazine, and admired her work. She looked the rifle over from top-to-bottom and smiled, beaming with pride. She was ready for the day. Her teammates had also finished inspecting their gear. Once everyone was packed up and ready, they headed through the entrance of the canyon.

As they made their way through, May scanned their surroundings for potential vantage spots, committing every feature to memory. The canyon was large and winding, with several narrow slide-slots along its length. Large cliffs surrounded the canyon, several of which seemed accessible enough to climb. There were several rocks that she could jump onto to get to that higher ground. Any spot she chose would need to have a clear line of sight to her teammates. A small river ran through the middle, with shrubs and small trees growing alongside it.

While May looked around the terrain, Nolan stopped abruptly.

"Wait," whispered Nolan. Brawnz raised his right hand, motioning them to stop before turning around to look at Nolan.

May looked at her partner as well, wondering what was it that her partner had noticed.

"What do you see?" Brawnz asked Nolan.

Nolan pointed forwards, towards the right side of the canyon in the distance. May looked at where her partner was pointing and saw movement between the rocks and foliage. Taking out her sniper rifle, May used her scope to get a better view.

"Beowolves, five of them in the distance," she reported to her teammates.

"Good catch, Nolan," Brawnz said. "May, have they noticed us yet?"

"Negative, they haven't noticed us. They seem to be moving towards the river."

"That means we have the advantage. Nolan, Roy, you two come with me. "

"What's the plan?" Roy asked his partner.

Brawnz grinned. "We're going to give them a little surprise." He turned towards May. "May, you get into position and wait for us to make the first move."

May nodded, "I'll watch your back."

Her teammates all looked at her and nodded back. They all trusted her. She wouldn't let them down.

Brawnz looked around and smiled. "Alright guys, let's show these Beowolves who's boss."

As the three of them moved further down the river, May ran towards the rocks she had been looking at before. As she ran, she reached towards the bottom of her sniper rifle and pulled a small handle, revealing the blade that was kept on the underside of the rifle's stock. Now holding her rifle's barrel, May jumped towards the nearest rock, using her weapon to increase her reach. After hooking onto it, May pulled herself up, before heading onto the next, higher rock. She did this several times until she reached the top of a tall rock slope. Now that she was high enough, May went over to the side of the cliff, took out her sniper rifle, and searched for her teammates.

The three of them were now hiding behind several rocks about 30 meters away from the nearest Beowolf. The Grimm had not noticed they were there, and were now about to cross the small river. May moved her scope over to the Grimm. The one at the head of the pack was larger than the rest. Its claws and teeth were larger, and it also had more bone-like armor. There were also a few bony spines across its body. She'd learned about this in her class lectures. This Beowolf was older than the rest and in that time it had grown smarter and stronger. From its appearance May wouldn't say it was an alpha yet, but with enough time it would no doubt become something similar. Unfortunately for it, the Beowolf wouldn't be getting that opportunity, not if Team BRNZ had any say in the matter.

May wanted to take a shot at the pack leader, but Brawnz had told her to wait for them to make the first move. She frowned a little. It would be so easy to take out the head Beowolf from where she was. But if Brawnz had a plan she would wait, she trusted his judgement and he had never led them astray.

The Grimm were all in the river now. The river itself was shallow, and barely reached the Beowolves' knees. As the head Beowolf was about to finish crossing the river, Brawnz, Roy, and Nolan jumped out from cover.

She heard a faint shout from Brawnz as Nolan ran towards the river, his cattle prod out. The Beowolves roared at them, but before they could strike, Nolan stuck his weapon into the water. A surge of electricity traveled through the water from Nolan towards the Beowolves, who roared in anger as thousands of volts coursed through their bodies. They were loud enough that she could hear them from where she was. Brawnz and Roy were standing on the other side of the river, no doubt waiting to finish off any Beowolf that made it out of the trap they had set. To her surprise, the head Beowolf was already standing there. There was no sign that it had been caught in the trap.

 _Why didn't it get shocked like the rest? Did it realise what the others were planning when they came out of cover?_

The head Beowolf was joined by two others, both of which were lightly smoking from Nolan's attack. In the river were the motionless bodies of the other two Beowolves. The trap had worked, but there were still three Beowolves, one of which was dangerously intelligent. She saw Nolan join Brawnz and Roy in their standoff against the three Beowolves. Three Beowolves were normally a piece of cake, but that head Beowolf seemed much smarter than the others. It could give her teammates more trouble than they bargained for. But if she took out of the pack leader, it would make things easier for her them. She moved her scope over the head of her target, " _I only need one good shot and–"_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rumbling sound behind her, followed by a loud roar. May quickly turned around, pointing her sniper rifle in the direction of the sounds. Her eyes widened as a Death Stalker started climbing up from the other side of the rocky slope. May tried to step back, but caught herself before she walked off the ledge. She swore. She had nowhere to run.

The Death Stalker was now on the side of the rocky slope opposite to her. It snapped its claws and swung its curved, glowing stinger from side to side. Its red eyes glowed with hostility. The two stood still for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, with a roar, the Death Stalker charged at May,

May began firing at the Death Stalker, but shot after shot bounced off the creature's hard shell. In moments, the Death Stalker had crossed the distance between the two and swung it's stinger. She dove to her left, rolling before kneeling upright and fired two more shots, this time at the Death Stalker's eyes. The first shot bounced off harmlessly, but the second shot hit home.

The Death Stalker roared as black ichor spurted from its damaged eye. May felt a ray of hope as she watched the Death Stalker recoil in pain. _"I can hurt it. I can slow it down, long enough for the other to get here."_ May pointed her sniper rifle at the giant Grimm once more, firing shot after shot at the beast. She aimed for its eyes, its mouth, the chinks between its armor plating, wherever she could get through that armor. May waited for the gap between her heart beats before firing, even as her heart began to beat faster and faster. _Shoot. Hit. Shoot. Hit. Shoot. Hit. Shoot. Hit._ Her shoulder began to ache as her weapon's stock slammed back after every shot. The Death Stalker shrieked at May's relentless attack, slowly crawling back away from her as black ichor dripped from its wounds.

May continued firing, never giving the creature a chance to fight back. _"Just a little longer,"_ May told herself. _"Just a little longer and the others will get here and then we'll kill this thing together."_

But time dragged on, and the rest of her team was nowhere in sight. " _Shouldn't they have noticed that she wasn't shooting at the Beowolves?"_ she asked herself. Counting her shots, May soon felt dread as the amount of ammo she had left in her magazine began to run out. May looked at the Death Stalker, which was standing a few meters away from her, claws covering its face. If she was fast enough, she could reload before it realised she had stopped firing.

When she had one last bullet left, May stopped firing, reaching for another magazine as fast as she could. It was at that moment that the Death Stalker spun around, swinging its tail in a wide arc.

"GAAAH," she managed to choke out as the Death Stalker's tail connected with her. She felt a jolt of pain even as her Aura tried its best to withstand the blow. The hit clouded her mind, and when she finally realised what had occurred she was already falling to the ground. The Death Stalker had knocked her off the cliff.

She yelled in pain as she landed on the hard canyon surface. Her sniper rifle had landed a few feet in front of her. She tried to stand, but fell again when she felt a sharp pain in her left ankle. "Ahhhhh!" she whimpered in pain, tears welling in her eyes. She looked at her ankle and saw that it was already starting to swell and turn red. Terror seeped into her chest. If she had sprained her ankle in the fall that could only mean one thing. Her Aura had been depleted and no longer protected her.

The next hit would be much worse.

Groaning, May tried to get up again, using the rock face for support. She limped towards her sniper rifle before picking it up. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a new magazine, reloading her weapon. She had to get away, she had to find somewhere to hide, she had to get help. Another roar from the Death Stalker chilled May to her bones. She turned her head around in a panic and saw that the Death Stalker had already begun crawling down from the rock slope, no doubt to finish her off.

Whimpering and on the verge of tears, May tried to get away. Holding her sniper rifle in her arms and again using the rock face for support, May slowly limped away. Her panic grew as the sounds of the Death Stalker became louder and louder. Closer and closer.

"Nolan! Roy! Brawnz! Anyone! Please help me!" she shouted desperately. _"I'm going to die,"_ she thought, _"Oh god I'm going to die here."_

As the Death Stalker's roars became even louder, May tried to move faster. But when she placed more weight on her sprained ankle, another jolt of pain caused her to trip. She fell to the ground, dropping her sniper rifle. She groaned and tried to push herself up when she sensed something coming from behind her.

May quickly rolled to the left as a stinger dug itself where her head was only a moment before. She crawled towards her sniper rifle in a panic as the Death Stalker pulled its stinger out of the ground, fiddling with the stock before swinging it wildly behind her. The Death Stalker roared as her sniper rifle's axe blade deflected another blow. Her own body screamed in protest as the full force of the blow resonated in her bones. Shaking off the attack, May got up into a kneeling stance and pointed her sniper rifle at the Death Stalker. Eight red eyes stared back, she had managed to take two out. May fired three more shots at the Death Stalker's face, but the Grimm brought its claws up just in time to protect itself. As she paused to find another weak spot, the Death Stalker charged, swinging a claw at her. May managed to roll away from the first claw, she didn't see the second one.

The swipe sent the girl crashing into the rock face. The impact knocked the wind out of her lungs, leaving May gasping for air as she crumpled to the ground. She was lying on her back now, sniper rifle still tightly gripped between her arms. A warm, crimson liquid dripped down her lips. May tried to push herself up, but a stabbing pain in her side caused her to cry and she fell back again. The Death Stalker roared in triumph and moved towards her. May looked up to see eight red eyes full of hate staring at her. The Grimm was reading her moves. She couldn't win. She was about to die. May quickly aimed her sniper rifle at the creature, even as tears spilled from her eyes and her breathing became ragged. The fear of dying had gripped her heart once more. Ready to deliver the killing blow, the Death Stalker swung its stinger down, intent on skewering the little huntress. Panicking and seeing the stinger heading for her, May aimed and shot.

The Dust bullet soared through the air and pierced through the Death Stalker's stinger. Grimm ichor and venom sprayed from the wound as the Death Stalker shrieked. May tried to turn away, but she was too late. The contents of the stinger splashed into her left eye.

"AHHHHHHHH!" May screamed and dropped her sniper rifle, clawing at her face. _"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"_ She felt an unbearable burning as the Death Stalker's venom seared into her skin and flesh. May writhed violently on the ground as intense pain coursed through her. It was excruciating, like a fire was eating away her body and her mind. She clutched her wound and gritted her teeth, trying to regain control of herself. Her instincts told her get up, to run away, but they were drowned out by wave after wave of agonizing pain crashing into her small frame. May rolled around on the ground, screaming and screaming as the pain overwhelmed her.

The world was spinning now, she couldn't process anything. Her vision was cloudy, her senses dulled from the pain. She heard the Death Stalker roar, thrashing angrily against the earth. The sounds were getting closer again. She tried to get up but her muscles only spasmed in response. She was paralyzed, but she didn't know whether it was from the fear, the pain, or the venom seeping into her veins. But she was certain of one thing, she couldn't move on her own. She couldn't get away this time. The Death Stalker was going to kill her this time. She was going to die here. She was going to die alone.

May began to sob, hysterical cries wracking her broken body, but the sound was hoarse and she choked on spit.

Her throat felt bloody and raw.

Her face was covered in tears, sand, and blood.

She gulped for air. It was becoming harder to breathe.

She closed her eyes. It hurt so much. She just wanted it to end.

"MAY!" she heard a familiar voice yell.

She heard a loud crack followed by the Death Stalker roaring in pain.

She felt someone lifting her up. She felt the person struggle against her body as it contorted in shock.

"It's going to be ok, May! Oh god, May! Stay with me!" a voice shouted.

"We have to leave now!"

"Someone call the school! We need to get help!"

May felt herself being carried away as her mind began to fade. The roars of the Grimm became fainter. She could no longer hear her own screams and sobs either. The pain in her left eye began to be replaced by a cold numbness, which spread like ice throughout her body. She began to lose feeling in her arms and legs. She didn't understand what was happening, but it was a welcome relief. Embracing it, she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

**I'll Watch Your Back**

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter! I was very surprised and delighted by how well this story was received! I'll be updating this story every 2-3 weeks and each chapter should be around 3K words. Thanks for reading and if you liked this story please Follow, Favorite and Review! Thanks to /u/donutkirby for helping me edit this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

 _Cold._ That was what May remembered feeling. An icy numbness creeping through her body. With every heartbeat she felt the coldness reaching further into her until slowly her blood began to feel like ice. With every passing moment she felt that ice grip her heart tighter, so tightly, like a hand had grasped it and refused to let go. Her heart strained, each heartbeat came slower now.

But she didn't shiver, even as her fingertips tingled when the ice had reached them. There was no pain, no hurt, not like before. Instead, when the numbness began to rob her of her senses, May felt relief.

So she let the coldness into her body and didn't try to fight it. She had been in so much pain before. She was tired, and now she just wanted to rest. So, even as her body became colder and heavier, she did nothing. When she finally closed her eyes, May felt herself being pulled into the darkness. But still she didn't fight back. Instead, she let shadows envelop her and she embraced them in turn. It was there, in the darkness, where she would have remained, if not for a ray of light that cut through the pitch-black.

* * *

May opened her eye, a groggy eyelid fluttering open to reveal a white ceiling. She stared at it, for a while, taking in the sight without really understanding what she was looking at. It took a minute for May to realise that she was staring at a ceiling. It took another for her to realise that she was lying down on a bed. It wasn't a ceiling she remembered. This wasn't her bed. A clean, white sheet was covering her small frame, it was soft to the touch. There was something covering her mouth and nose.

There was a beeping sound somewhere in the room, at least, May thought she was in a room. The beeps were constant and repetitive, repeating in tandem with the hissing of air and the soft clicking of a machine. Cool air caressed May's nose, cheeks, and lips with every cycle. She took a breath and exhaled, feeling the warm condensation of each breath.

May moved her hands to her face, her muscles were stiff and they ached at the effort. Reaching for her mouth, her fingers stopped short when they touched something that wasn't skin. She traced her fingers around the object, it was made of plastic, there was a tube attached to it. It felt like a mask, there were straps on either side holding it in place.

The action was more draining than May had expected. Her strength gave out and her arms slid down her face and back to her sides. Heavy eyelids tried to close shut, to return to the darkness, but a bright light shone through her thin eyelids and she opened them once more. Seeking the light, May turned her head to the right, slowly, instinctively, as if drawn to it.

The window was open, and a cool breeze was flowing into the room. Simple white curtains hung delicately from the window frame, billowing in the wind. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the white linen as they gently swayed back and forth. May felt warmth as the rays of sunlight danced on her body.

"Warm…" the sound of her own voice came out cracked and hoarse, barely even a whisper, muffled by the mask on her face.

May would lie there in the warm sun for a few more minutes, listening to the sounds of the machines in the room, all the while building up the strength and willpower needed to force herself up from the bed. Her body felt unnaturally weak and she struggled with even the simplest movements. The soft bed was a welcome sanctuary in comparison.

As May started to rise from the bed, she could feel her muscles straining to lift her up. She groaned as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. As she got up, the white blanket slid down her upper body, revealing a blue gown underneath. The white sheets settled in a clump around her lap.

Now hunched in an upright position on the bed, May moved her fingers to her cheeks and reached for the straps. She pulled on them, trying to get the mask off her face, but she struggled to get a solid grip. Her fingers felt clumsy and refused to listen to her, and at first her hands pawed fruitlessly at the straps. Her arms were refusing to cooperate as well, and it was hard to keep them up. When May had at last slipped her fingers under the straps, she let out a few soft whines as she tried to yank the mask off. Those soft whines were soon followed by some embarrassing whimpers and grunts. After trying to pull straps up from behind her head for what seemed like forever, she finally managed to rip the mask from her face.

May gasped and inhaled deeply once the mask had come off, fresh air entering her lungs. May took one deep breath after another, the air in the room was tinged with a sweet aroma. Without the mask, May was able to take in the smells of the room. The white sheets that covered her carried the scent of lavender. There was also the fragrance of flowers, but she couldn't see any.

May slowly tilted her head downwards to look at the object she had just taken off her face. Like she had guessed it was made of plastic. It looked like an oxygen mask of some kind. She followed the tubing back to a machine to the right of her bed, it made soft clicking and beeping noises every now and again, the same sounds she had been hearing before. Looking at her hands, May saw that they were bandaged in some places. There was an IV in her right arm.

" _This…this is a hospital room, right?"_ May thought. _"Why am I here?"_

She kept looking at her bandaged hands. There was a slight pain in her side and a dull ache in her left ankle. She barely had the strength to sit up, she had never been this tired before. Why was she so exhausted, so drained? May swallowed, a knot was forming at the bottom of her stomach.

" _What happened to me? Was I hurt?"_

Her mind was cloudy and hazy. She fought to remember what had happened to her, but her memories were scattered, like pieces of a puzzle that were now strewn about on the floor. Still, some pieces were more vivid than the others. May closed her eye and reached for them, trying to put the puzzle back together, trying to recall what had lead her here, how was it that she was in this bed and in this condition.

She reached out for the first piece. Some of the memories she already knew, others were still loose and needed to be put in place. The first ones within her grasp were simple memories. _My name is May Zedong. I am 17. I'm from Vacuo. My favorite food is chocolate brownies. I go to Shade Academy._

 _I'm training to be a Huntress._

That last one was much more vivid than the others. May grabbed that memory and put it into place. As soon as she did, several other pieces became more vivid as well. She reached for those next.

 _My partner's name is Nolan. I'm on Team BRNZ. Brawnz is our leader. His partner is Roy. We hunt Grimm._

There was a splitting pain in her head. The memories were coming faster now.

 _We were on a…training mission. I was the sniper. We fought some Creeps. We made camp._

She brought a hand to her temples, the throbbing pain was now radiating throughout her head.

 _We saw some Beowolves. I had to provide cover, but…_

The last pieces were falling into place now. May didn't even need to reach for them. Instead, all she could do was watch as the memories of that day came rushing back. A looming figure crawling towards her, giant claws snapping, a deadly stinger hanging behind. She remembered running, she remembered not being able to get away.

Her heart was racing now, hammering inside her chest as a familiar fear took hold of her. She began to pant as her body broke out into a cold sweat. It was getting harder to breathe. Her breath came in gasps. She wanted to throw up. She felt sick.

She remembered being on the ground, her body broken. She remembered the Death Stalker's stinger swinging down towards her. She remembered shooting.

She remembered the burning.

May covered her mouth, silencing a scream. The puzzle was complete now, or as complete as it could be. She remembered being hit in the eye, but she could not recall anything else besides the pain.

 _Oh god, the pain._

May swallowed again. Fear and anxiety was building up inside her. She slowly moved her left hand from her mouth to her left cheek. She brought it up slowly, afraid of what she would find. Her fingers touched fabric and she flinched.

They felt like bandages. They covered her left eye.

May tried to stay calm, to find a reasonable explanation for what the bandages could mean. But she was too scared, too afraid. She started panicking. She was shaking now.

 _It's probably nothing. It'll be fine. I just… I… No. No. No. No. No. No. No…_

"May!"

The voice brought May out of her downward spiral. She turned to the left, in the direction of the sound. Standing at the door was her partner, Nolan. He had tears in his eyes, but he still had a big smile on his face. Brawnz and Roy were behind him.

Her own eyes began to tear up. "Guys…" she tried to smile, but her lips quivered.

The three of them ran towards the bed. Nolan was the first one there, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tightly. The hug was a bit too tight for May, but as Nolan held her, May could feel the soft sobs coming from the boy. "May…thank goodness…thank goodness, you're okay."

"Nolan…" May closed her eye and returned the embrace. For a moment, May wasn't afraid.

* * *

Roy had left the room to go find the doctor. Brawnz and Nolan were still here with her, sitting on stools by the left side of her bed. May had to turn her body a little to see them. It hurt a bit when she did so. There were flowers in a vase on a small table to the left of her bed. There were red, orange, and yellow daisies, blue tulips, and white daffodils. She hadn't seen them until now, but she remembered the smell from before. They had a soft fragrance, it wasn't overpowering and it smelled nice. The colors didn't really match though. She wondered if the guys had brought them for her before, she smiled at the idea of the three of them trying to choose which flowers to buy.

Brawnz had started to fill her in on what had happened during the fight in the canyon. When they had noticed May wasn't shooting at the Beowolves, they turned back to see the Death Stalker climbing down the rock slope. When they had tried to get to her the Beowolves lunged at them. The three Grimm that had survived the ambush were stronger and smarter than they had anticipated. They managed to kill two and drive off the third, but by the time they found her she was already on the ground screaming. Brawnz managed to distract the Death Stalker long enough for them to pick her up and get away. They called the school and a Bullhead was sent to take them back. She was hurt really badly, and while the doctors managed to stabilize her she fell into a coma shortly afterwards. She was in the Infirmary Wing of Shade Academy now.

May listened to her teammates quietly, never saying a word and only nodding. She knew she had to listen, but part of her didn't want to. Part of her felt sick when she heard about how they found her rolling on the ground, or how the doctors rushed her off to the emergency room. Part of her wanted to run away, to shut all of it out.

Brawnz did most of the talking, but she noticed that he was acting odd. He kept looking around, never making eye contact with her. Nolan, too, seemed to avoid her gaze. His eyes were still a little bit red.

May started to feel a little bit anxious. She didn't like this, not one bit.

"How…how long?" she finally spoke.

Brawnz and Nolan looked at her. "How long for what?" Brawnz asked.

"How long have I been asleep?"

The two of them seemed taken back by the question. They looked at each other and seemed to hesitate.

"Three weeks," Nolan finally answered, he was avoiding her eye again, staring at his hands clasped in front of him. "You were in a coma for three weeks."

The words made her heart sink. _Three weeks?!_ The words barely registered, she had trouble conceiving the idea that she three weeks had passed her by in a blink. Three weeks lost forever.

"The doctors…" Nolan continued, she saw his grip tighten, "they said there was a chance you wouldn't wake up."

Her eye widened, nervousness settling in as her mind flirted with the idea of what _could_ have been if she had stayed in the darkness, if she hadn't woken up. After all, she didn't remember fighting the darkness.

Nolan took a breath and looked up, looked at her. "We're glad you came back to us."

Brawnz put a hand on Nolan's shoulder before also turning to her. "Everything's going to be alright. You're going to be back on your feet and out of here in no time."

Looking at her teammates, she could tell their words were sincere, that they cared about her. She wondered what they had went through in the weeks that she was in her coma. She was truly grateful to have teammates like them. But she still felt anxious about something. She didn't know what, but she could feel it every time she breathed.

May smiled timidly, "I guess…I have a lot of homework to catch up on, huh?"

The two of them blinked before they broke into smiles and laughs, May laughed a little too. She forgot about the heavy feeling in her chest when she laughed. As they were laughing the door opened and Roy came in with the doctor. The doctor had dark-brown hair and blue eyes. He was fairly tall and along with his glasses and a white lab coat that covered an orange sweater he gave off an aura of authority and medical expertise. There was a large Scroll in his hand.

"Good morning Ms. Zedong, my name is Dr. Robin, one of the medical personnel at this academy. I'm going to give you a small checkup to make sure everything is good, alright?"

May nodded and the doctor smiled. "Now if it's alright with you I'll have to ask your teammates to wait outside until we're finished."

Her teammates looked at her again, she sensed some concern on their part. May smiled at them. "It's okay guys, I'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

Brawnz nodded. "We'll be outside."

After the three of them had left, Dr. Robin put down his Scroll and began her checkup. She shivered when the doctor put his stethoscope on her skin. Her breathing and heart rate were checked and they both came back healthy. The doctor also measured her blood pressure and a thermometer was used to check her body temperature. They also came back normal. The doctor shined a small flashlight into her right eye. He only needed to do one eye.

Dr. Robin also used a specialized instrument to check her Aura levels. This wasn't a standard test in the Kingdom, as most people only had a small amount of Aura. It was, however, normal for a Huntsman Academy to have such a test. The test showed that May had adequate levels of Aura, they were lower than what she normally had, but she had enough so that there was no risk.

After he was finished, Dr. Robin picked up his Scroll and opened the door to let her teammates back in. They sat back next to her, Roy having brought an additional stool, and asked her how it had went. May reassured them again that everything was fine.

"All your vitals are normal, so that is a good sign, but you were in a coma for a few weeks so you may feel some residual weakness and muscular atrophy," said Dr. Robin. He was going over his Scroll now.

"In addition, you suffered several injuries in your last mission that have yet to fully recover. You have a bruised rib on your right side, and a mild 2nd degree ankle sprain in the anterior talofibular ligament of your left foot."

May put a hand on her side, at least now she knew why it hurt whenever she twisted her torso. The dull aching pain in her foot also made sense.

Dr. Robin was watching her as she inspected her injuries. "Fortunately, your Aura levels stayed steady when you were in your coma so your recovery time shouldn't be too long. But, I'm going to recommend you do some rehabilitation exercises for your ankle. While your ankle sprain was mild, a 2nd degree sprain does mean some of the fibers in your ligaments were torn. We will need to do some physical rehab to increase your ankle's stability and decrease the chances of re-injury."

May listened to Dr. Robin as he talked about what kinds of exercises she should expect to do. According to him she should be discharged from the infirmary in a week, and after another week of follow-up exercises her treatment should be completed.

However, May couldn't shake off a feeling of anxiety. The doctor hadn't talked about one thing yet, as if he was avoiding the topic.

"Excuse me, Dr. Robin…what about my eye?"

The room went silent, Dr. Robin stopped looking at his Scroll and looked up at her. "In your last mission..." he began, "you were hit in the eye with Death Stalker venom, a cocktail of deadly neurotoxins and Grimm-based poisons."

May swallowed down the lump in her throat.

"Fortunately," continued Dr. Robin, "the venom only made contact with your eye and the skin around it, and we were able to stop it before too much had entered your bloodstream. If enough had entered your bloodstream directly, it would have stopped your heart in minutes."

Dr. Robin paused. He took off his glasses and put them away.

"However, the venom caused severe tissue and nerve damage in your left eye. It is unlikely that you will recover your vision. I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do."

The words fell heavily on her. Each one striking her heart like a hammer. Any hope that she had, however irrational, was being smashed in the process. Time seemed to freeze to a standstill. The room seemed to grow more distant. _This can't be happening. This has to be a dream, right?_

"May…I-," Nolan started but then stopped.

She turned to her teammates. They were all looking away again. She didn't understand why they weren't looking at her. May could feel something wet streaming down her right cheek. She didn't understand. Why did this happen to her?

"May, I'm sorry…"

* * *

Dr. Robin had left to go check on the pain medication prescription that she would be taking for her injuries. May needed to remain in bed for a few more days, but after that she would be ready to start her exercises. The doctor hoped that in a week's time she would regain muscle mass and improve her ankle stability.

Nolan, Brawnz and Roy were about to leave too. They had already missed their first classes of the day to be with her.

"It's fine guys, I'll be okay here. You guys should go to class." She gave them another smile. She really didn't want them to miss anymore classes because of her.

"Alright, but right after we're coming to see you again, got it?" Brawnz asked.

"Got it," she replied. He offered her a closed fist, she fist pumped it in return.

As they started to leave, Nolan suddenly turned back, reaching into his pocket.

"I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, frantically searching his pockets. When he had finally found what he was searching for, he took it out and gave it to her.

"Your Scroll, I figure you might get bored here," he said.

May's eye gleamed for a second. She took her Scroll from her partner. "Thank you."

He nodded and the three of them started leaving them room. "We'll see you in a few hours, don't have too much fun without us!"

May gave them a closed smile and waved them goodbye.

When they had left, May felt a familiar anxiousness return. She turned on her Scroll, it still worked despite what it had gone through. As her Scroll turned on, several messages and notifications began to pop up. But she didn't check her messages, or go through her music, or anything like that. Instead, she opened the camera on her Scroll and switched to the front-facing camera. May was finally able to see her face.

She had bags under her right eye and her dusky-rose hair was disheveled. Her lips were dry and her normally tanned complexion was very pale. Her cheeks were sunken. She looked awful.

She also saw the bandages. They covered her left eye and wrapped around her head.

As May looked at her face, she was forced to accept the reality of her condition. Tears started streaming down her face again.

She sobbed quietly in her bed.

* * *

 **If you liked this chapter please leave a review! Even if it's just a reaction to what happened or what you think will happen please leave a review! I love reading them and they are a great source of feedback and motivation!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'll Watch Your Back**

* * *

 **Author's Note: I am so sorry for the month-long delay for this chapter. Between classes, HORRIBLE writer's block, and a slew of other things this chapter took WAY longer than it should have. If all goes well, next chapter should arrive much quicker.**

 **If you liked this chapter, please ~Follow, Favorite, and Review~! I tried to apply the feedback I received in this chapter so if there was anything you liked or disliked or want to comment about please leave a review!**

 **Eternal thanks to /u/bekeleven for editing this chapter and for all the feedback they've provided me. Much appreciated.**

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

May stared out the open window of her hospital room. It had rained that morning, the first time in a little while. The window glass was still wet with water droplets sparkling in the sunlight. Cool rain had washed over the warm, dry land and now a fresh, earthly smell lingered in the air. May closed her eye and breathed it in. The scent of rain mixed with dirt was almost sweet. Shivers went down her spine as her mind drifted away into her memories.

Suddenly, she was back home, running through the mud and grass and skipping between the puddles as the rain fell around her. The splashing of water around her feet. The cool feeling of rain on her skin.

Between the pitter-patter was the sound of laughing children playing, leaving footprints in the mud. May felt the cold, wet ground beneath her feet as she ran to her friends. The squelching of mud after each step. The way the water rose up and in between her toes. The thrill, the excitement. The joy of running without a care in the world.

May opened her eye and came back to the present. She stared outside again. She wanted to be outside. To feel the wind in her face. To run in the rain or in the sun, it didn't matter. It didn't matter at all. A huntress didn't belong in bed.

But that desire faded as quickly as it came. May looked down and strained to raise her arms. They were thinner than they were supposed to be.

A heaviness crept into her as reality set in.

It had only been a few days since she woke up from her coma. During the three weeks she had been out, her joints had become stiff and her muscles had wasted away. She was in no shape to be moving around without help, let alone running around. She did not have the energy nor the strength for either. All she could do was stay inside.

But every morning was the same. Every night was the same. She would rise in the morning and sleep at night. The monotony of it all weighed heavily on her spirits.

May glanced at the table to her left. On it was an assortment of "Get well" cards, some flowers, and even a teddy bear. Gifts from her classmates. Nebula and her team had dropped off the bear.

Visits from her friends and classmates, something to look forward to each day. It was still early in the morning, her friends would be in class right now. If nothing came up, they should be here in a few hours. But they couldn't stay forever. Each time they would eventually have to leave and she would be alone with her thoughts again.

She didn't want to be alone.

 _It isn't fair…_ The words echoed again and again in the back of her mind. A familiar tightness took hold of her heart as she recalled what Dr. Robin had said.

" _It is unlikely that you will recover your vision."_

She touched the bandages around her left eye. Her hand brushing against the linen. May had searched those words for any sign of uncertainty, even though a part of her already knew. How could she not? Still, she had looked for a sign of hope.

" _I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do."_

But the doctor's words were not comforting. They were not reassuring. Any hope she had was short lived.

 _Why?_ May reached for her heart, clutching her gown. The tightness grew stronger, like her heart was in a vice. It was heavy. _Why, why, why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this?_ Something ugly kept swirling around in the back of her mind. The feeling in her chest rose up and knotted itself in her throat. She bit her lip and started trembling.

 _It's not fair!_

 _It's not fair!_

 _It's not fair!_

"May, dear?"

May shifted her gaze towards the door. She hadn't noticed someone was there.

"N-Nurse Tanaka, I…" Her voice came out hoarse. May looked away, wiping her face with her wrist.

"Is everything okay?" May heard Nurse Tanaka walking in and the sound of a tray being set down.

"Mmhmm." May breathed deeply, trying to find her composure. "I'm just not feeling well today, that's all," she managed to say, still not making eye contact with her nurse.

"Is that so?" May felt a hand abruptly push her chin upwards. Before she could realise what was happening someone else's forehead was on hers.

"Hmmm, it doesn't seem like you have a fever," said Nurse Tanaka.

May's cheeks flushed. There was a tingling sensation on her forehead, which stayed even after Nurse Tanaka pulled away and stood back up. She couldn't help but stare at the woman in front of her. She was dressed in her blue floral scrubs and had her matching Shade Academy nurse hat. Her black hair was tied up in a bun on the back of her head. A few strands were loose and flowed down the right side of her face. As always, she looked beautiful and full of life.

"But you are a bit red." Nurse Tanaka's arms were crossed and she had a hand on her cheek. Her brow was furrowed and her lips formed a small frown. "Would you want me to open another window?"

"No no! I'm fine, honest!" May blurted out, her hands waving wildly.

Nurse Tanaka smiled. "Alright dear, and please, call me Aoi."

"Okay, Nur- um, Aoi." The name came out awkwardly. It felt a bit weird using her nurse's first name. But she liked the sound of it. It was a pretty name.

Another smile from her nurse got rid of the awkwardness quickly anyways.

"Now, I brought you breakfast but first I need you to take your medication." May watched as Aoi pushed the over-bed table closer, before picking up a small medicine cup and a cup of water. She gave them to May, who looked at the colorful assortment of pills and tablets in the medicine cup with dismay.

Amino acid and creatine supplements for muscle growth, calcium and vitamin D supplements for bone growth and health, Aura stimulants to build up her Aura levels, and pain relief medication for her sore muscles.

There were a lot of pills. May had taken the pills several times already, but it didn't get any less disheartening.

May poured the pills into her mouth and swallowed them with a sip of water. She reached to place the cups back on the tray.

 _Pok._ The plastic cups clattered onto the ground, spilling water across the tile floors.

May gasped and recoiled from the spill. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" May went to pick up the cups, but it was out of her reach. All she could do was watch helplessly as the spill continue to spread.

"It's okay dear, it was an accident," Aoi reassured her. Aoi grabbed some towels from a drawer and put them over the spill. May was only able to watch as her nurse wiped the floor dry before dropping the towels in the dirty laundry basket.

May's head hung low after Aoi was done. She wanted to avoid Aoi's gaze. _Why can't I do anything right? Why do I always mess up?_

"Really, it's fine, dear. It was just water!" Aoi's voice was still warm and cheerful. She didn't sound mad at all. Like she woke up every morning thinking, " _Boy, I hope I get to play janitor for those clumsy kids again."_

May looked back up at Aoi and weakly smiled.

"Now, how about breakfast to cheer you up?" Aoi clapped her hands together before moving the table over May's lap.

"Try to finish as much as you can this time, dear. You need to build up your strength."

"Mmm, I'll try. Thank you," May replied.

"I'll be back in 2 hours to do your exercises with you." Aoi smiled again, but May could tell the worry in her eyes.

After Aoi left the room, May examined her breakfast. A bowl of cereal, scrambled eggs, some toast with butter, a glass of orange juice, and a bowl of strawberries and blueberries.

She took a spoonful of cereal and put it in her mouth.

"Eugh." It only took one chew for May to know what it was. Bran-flakes. Probably vitamin enriched. God, she wished they would give her some Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes. May took a few bites of the scrambled eggs too, but they also tasted bland.

May let out a sigh. Resigned to her fate, May tried to eat as much as possible. She felt bad, after all. She hadn't eaten a lot in the past few days and she didn't want to keep wasting food.

May glanced cautiously at the glass of orange juice before moving her hand gingerly towards it. She made sure she was holding it before bringing it up to her mouth. It tasted normal, thankfully.

She took out her Scroll from underneath her pillow while she was eating and checked the time. It was 9:42AM. Aoi wouldn't be back for at least 11:30AM, so that gave her roughly 1 hour and 48 minutes. May hastily put her earbuds in. There was enough time to finish the Achieve Men podcast she started last night.

For the last few days, May had been occupying her time by catching up on her favorite band's podcasts and videos that she had missed in the last three weeks. There wasn't much else to do in bed.

May listened to the podcast while eating some of the strawberries and blueberries. They tasted really sweet and fresh. She wondered if they had recently arrived from Vale or maybe Haven. Travel and trade between the other Kingdoms had been getting more difficult due to rising Grimm attacks so getting fresh produce in Vacuo wasn't as easy as it used to be. May managed to finish the bowl of fruits halfway through her podcast.

She was done her podcast by the time Aoi came back. May put her Scroll and earbuds underneath her pillow again while her nurse started cleaning up the table. Aoi looked like she was going to say something when she went to pick up May's plates, but she just kept smiling. She looked relieved.

Aoi turned towards her after cleaning up.

"Are you ready to start your exercises?"

May nodded.

* * *

Aoi had picked up her bed sheets, folding them up and putting them away on the side. May would be doing her exercises on the bed and the sheets would just get in the way. All she really needed was her hospital gown. May was lying on her back now. Aoi came over and placed one hand under May's left ankle and another behind her left knee.

"I'm going to start with the passive ROM exercises now," said Aoi.

"Okay."

May felt her leg being pushed up and towards her body, flexing at the knee and hip. Aoi kept it there for a few seconds before returning it to its original position. After a short pause, Aoi pushed it up another time.

Her nurse's hands moved slowly and gently, quickly bringing May's leg into a smooth rhythm of flexion and extension. Her body resisted each time her leg was flexed. Her joints felt tight. But with each repetition May felt the tension begin to fade.

After 10 repetitions, May felt Aoi pull her leg side to side. Each time, May's leg would be held in the stretched position for a few seconds before being returned to the neutral position. Aoi would do this 10 times as well before moving onto the next exercise. After Aoi was done with her left leg it was her right leg's turn, and after that came the arms.

These exercises were supposed to help her regain her mobility and flexibility. They were supposed to go a long way in helping her get back to being a huntress-in-training. But how long would it take? How long would she have to stay in this bed? Four weeks had already passed. Four weeks of studies to catch up on. She had to get back. The semester was almost over.

May felt Aoi place her hands on her left foot again; one hand on her ankle and another under the toes.

"I'm going to work on your left ankle now. If you feel any pain, let me know and I'll stop."

May nodded. Like her rib, her ankle had healed, but there were lasting effects from the sprain that needed to be dealt with.

May instinctively held her breath when Aoi bent her foot upwards and forwards. Thankfully, it didn't hurt this time, not even a little bit like in the first few days. May let out a sigh of relief. She needed her ankle to be alright, otherwise she wouldn't be able to move around on the battlefield. She wouldn't be able to support her team. She couldn't afford it getting in the way of a mission, or worse, getting sprained again.

 _Another thing to worry about, I guess._

Aoi stood back up after she had finished. "Okay, let's try standing up again. Is that alright?"

"Mmm, okay," May replied softly. With a little help from Aoi, May pushed herself into a sitting position. She swung her legs to the left so that they were hanging over the bed.

"When you're ready." May saw Aoi moving to support her, there was an arm under her shoulder and another around her back.

May nudged herself closer to the edge of the bed until her feet touched the ground. The tile floor felt cold to the touch. May breathed deeply a few more times before shifting her weight onto her feet, forcing her body into a standing position while Aoi helped lift her up. Aoi then slowly stepped in front of her and offered her hands for support. May quickly reached them, holding onto her nurse in an effort to steady herself.

But her legs felt wobbly and she struggled to keep them straight. May took a few steps forward, hoping to regain her balance. Her strength was fading fast and her legs started to cramp.

May lurched forward without warning.

She was falling. Everything in the room sharply shifted for a moment. A squeezing fear erupted in her chest. She felt herself slamming into something. She reached out, hands clawing desperately, and clung to it like a child. She whimpered and gasped for air. Her heart was pounding. She was scared.

"It's okay, I've got you." Aoi's voice brought her back. May felt arms under her shoulders, stopping her from falling. She held onto Aoi tightly, taking slow, deep breathes.

"Careful now, easy." With a little help from her nurse, May slowly moved back to the bed, only sitting down when the edge of the bed brushed against her legs.

She was avoiding Aoi's eyes again. This wasn't the first time she fell trying to stand up. May felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Aoi kneeling in front of her.

"It's alright, you've only been doing this for a few days. It's normal to have trouble at first." Her nurse was trying to reassure her. May didn't like this. She didn't like being like this. So weak and fragile.

"Everything will be fine," Aoi continued. "I'm going to go get something from the nursing station. Do you remember the leg strengthening exercises I taught you?"

"I remember," May replied.

"Perfect. Please do 10 repetitions for each leg or as many as you can. I'll be right back."

Aoi left the room again and May looked down at her legs. Like her arms, the muscles in them were smaller than she remembered. They weren't supposed to look like that. They looked wrong, sickly even. She didn't like it.

May, still sitting on the side of the bed, took a moment to prepare herself for her next exercise. When she was ready, May raised her right leg until it was straight and pointing away from her. She held it up for five seconds, before raising the leg even higher. She kept it there and counted to five once more before lowering the leg to the floor. She raised her other leg after, holding it up for five seconds before raising it higher once again.

 _9 left._

May lifted her right leg again and repeated the exercise, counting down the number of repetitions she needed to do.

 _8 left._

 _7 left._

Her muscles ached as she alternated between legs. Each leg lift became harder and harder to do.

 _Why is this so difficult? Why am I so weak?_

 _6 left._

 _5 left._

Her legs were getting heavier. They kept shaking whenever she tried to hold them up. Each leg lift came slower now.

 _It hurts. It hurts it hurts it hurts!_

The pain made her stop. Her legs fell back to the ground.

Her legs were on fire.

She gritted her teeth and held back a scream. She slammed her fist down on the mattress, over and over again. But the mattress remained unfazed by her tantrum, even after her hand began to throb. _I hate this. I hate this so much._

May sat there, stewing in her own bitterness, before gripping the bed hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

 _I can't give up._

With a grunt, May kicked her legs back into the air, even as her muscles screamed in agony.

 _4 left._

Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead and on the back of her neck. May kept kicking her legs into the air one after the other.

 _3 left._

 _My friends are counting on me._

 _2 left._

 _I can't let them down!_

 _1 left._

"Done!"May collapsed back onto the bed, breathless. Her skin glistened with a layer of sweat. Her legs burned, but she didn't care. Panting, she put an arm over her head. A defiant grin creeped across her face.

"I…did it." May gasped. "I did it!"

She laughed. The sound was a mixture of exhaustion and indignation at her injuries and all the hardships she faced. A small victory.

"That's fantastic, dear!" May got up to see Aoi standing by the door again, having probably heard her triumphant declaration. She wasn't embarrassed though, not now. She nodded at Aoi, a big smile on her face.

"If you are up for it, I have an idea on how we can celebrate!" Aoi walked back out into the hallway.

"Hmm?" May titled her head to the side.

"Tada!" Aoi shouted, pushing something into the room. May's eyes opened wide when she realised what it was.

It was a wheelchair.

"Eh?"

* * *

May kept her arms wrapped around Aoi while her nurse lifted her off the bed and into the wheelchair. She wasn't sure if she was lighter than usual or if Aoi was insanely strong. Either way, Aoi didn't seem fazed at all.

"Okay," Aoi said, checking May to make sure she was seated comfortably in the chair. "Let's go!"

Her nurse unlocked the brakes and pushed her out of the room. Something occurred to May as she entered the hallway. This was the first time she had left her hospital room since waking up. Bed, bathroom, meals brought to her every day, a nurse to help with her exercises and to clean. From a medical standpoint, there was really no reason for her to leave. But May felt trapped in the room. That's why when Aoi offered her a chance to get out of there, she took it. But she was still nervous, maybe even a little afraid of leaving the safety of her bed.

But she needed to get out.

"Where are we going?" May asked.

"You'll see when we get there, it's a surprise." Aoi replied, humming shortly after. May wondered what Aoi was up to.

She took a look around the hallway. She hadn't been to the Infirmary Wing before, but it didn't look too much different from the rest of the school. It seemed a bit cleaner. There were many rooms, but most were empty. May saw glimpses of the few students who were here. Some looked like they had a broken arm or leg in a cast, others were sneezing and coughing.

"We're almost there, can you close your eye for a moment?" Aoi asked.

May winced at the mention. A pang of pain. She hoped she hid it well. "Okay," she said and closed her eye.

"Just a little bit longer."

May kept her eye shut while Aoi continued pushing her toward their destination. They made a turn somewhere along the way. Something smelled nice. It was bright and she felt really warm all of ; sudden too.

"You can look now."

May opened her eye and flinched at the brightness. She squinted, adjusting to the light. When she finally saw what was in front of her, she couldn't help but gasp in awe.

It was a garden, a beautiful garden. There were rows of summer flowers that stretched besides a winding brick path. She saw daisies, marigolds, lilies, and so many more!

"I thought you would like some fresh air after being inside for so long," Aoi said.

May looked back at Aoi. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

Aoi started pushing her down the brick path. As she got closer to the flowers, she saw that there were still water droplets on the petals and leaves. Like little pearls. May smelled the air, taking in the scent of the flowers and the earth. It smelled so much better than when she was inside.

A soft breeze blew by as they passed under a large tree. They were greeted by the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. May brushed her hair out of her face and looked up. Sunshine filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dancing shadows on the ground.

They stopped by a bench next to a large flower bed at the end of the path.

"The flowers are all really pretty," May said.

"You should have seen the flowers your friends and classmates brought when you first came in, they were all very beautiful too," Aoi mentioned.

May smiled gently. "It was really nice of them to do that for me."

"Especially that one young man. He would always make sure you had fresh flowers next to you!"

"Who was it?" May asked.

"Oh silly me, I seem to be having a little trouble remembering his name. I've seen him with you a few times already, the young man in the blue jacket."

"Nolan?!" shouted May.

"Yes! That was his name, what a sweet young man." Aoi nudged her a little. "Hey, is he your boyfriend by any chance?"

"N-n-no!" She shouted again. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, he visited you almost every day!" Aoi clapped her hands and swooned a little for emphasis.

"He's just my partner!" May's face suddenly felt warmer than before. "…And a good friend."

"Aw, you don't have to be so flustered if that's all," Aoi teased.

May buried her face in her hands and let out a groan while Aoi chuckled and patted her on the back. It was all a bit embarrassing to say the least. Still, she was happy that Nolan cared so much. She didn't think of him in _that_ way though.

"Oh, is that Nolan over there?"

May almost jumped out of her seat.

"Over here!" Aoi shouted.

May looked towards where Aoi was waving at. There was a boy with dark red hair on the other side of the garden. He was waving back and walking towards them.

Aoi leaned over and whispered into her ear. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

Before May could protest, Aoi had already trotted away. "Geeeeeez," she whined.

"Hey, how's it going?" Nolan greeted her.

"Hey Nolan." May waved at her partner.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Uhhhh, nothing important…" She quickly pointed to his backpack. "Did you just come from class?"

"Yeah, I have a break now so I thought I'd drop by to say hi."

May smiled. "How did you know we were here?"

"I asked the nursing station when you weren't in your room. They said your nurse took you out to the gardens." Nolan started rummaging through his bag. "And now that she's not here…I have a little surprise for you."

Nolan pulled out a take-out bag with a WcDonald's logo.

May eyed the bag hungrily. "Do you normally say hi with food?"

Nolan sat down on the bench next to her, reaching into the take-out bag. "Everyone knows the best way to say hi is with food." He passed her a burger. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I had breakfast a few hours ago, but…" She quickly snatched the burger out of Nolan's hands and clutched it greedily. "Aoi would never let me eat this."

"Good thing she's not here." Nolan flashed his signature grin at her. "Double cheeseburger with no pickles, right?"

"Yup, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

May took off the wrapping, revealing the delicious burger within. The heavenly smell of the melted cheese and hamburger patties made her taste buds water. As May stared lovingly at the burger in her hands, a stream of saliva went down the side of her mouth. May quickly wiped it away. _Wow, when was the last time I had a burger?_

Nolan laughed and handed her a few napkins.

After a few more seconds of gazing lovingly at her burger, May took a bite. Immediately, she tasted the saltiness of the patties intermingling with the savouriness of the melted cheese. The fluffiness of the bun. The sweetness of the ketchup and the onions filled her mouth as well. Swallowing, she let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Is it really that good?"

"You haven't tried the food here."

Nolan chuckled. "Fair point."

May tried her best to savor each bite, but she couldn't stop herself from devouring the burger. Her appetite had finally returned. By the time Nolan had eaten half of his burger, she had already finished hers.

"Ahhhhhh." May lied back on her wheelchair and smiled contently.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Nolan said before passing her a water bottle from his backpack.

"Thanks." She grabbed the water bottle and took a sip.

"So how was your morning?"

"It was okay. I had breakfast and did some exercises."

"That's cool. How did your exercises go?"

May softly squeezed the water bottle. "They…went fine." She turned to smile at Nolan. "I only had a little trouble, that's all."

Nolan looked at her for a moment, before smiling back. "That's good to hear. You're strong, you have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not strong." May fiddled with the water bottle in her hands. "I…always feel so nervous these days."

"That's normal, you've…been through a lot." Nolan put his hand on her shoulder. "But I know you, you've got this."

"Mmmmm," she mumbled.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Nolan ate the rest of his burger in a hurry and grabbed his backpack.

"What is it?" May asked.

Nolan was still rummaging through his backpack. "I could have sworn I put it in here this morning…there! Got it!"

May saw Nolan pull something out of his bag. It was black and had a small red rectangle along the bottom. She knew instantly what it was.

"My beanie!"

"We had it fixed up and washed. We've been meaning to give it to you since you woke up but we weren't sure if they would allow it."

May took the hat from Nolan, feeling the familiar fabric in her hands. "I'm sure Aoi will approve." She looked back at her partner. "Thank you."

"No problem."

May put on her beanie, pulling it over head until it ended just past her forehead. Her hand stroked the fabric of her bandages in the process, but she didn't care. Not this time.

May took a breath "Thank you, Nolan." She stared into his pink eyes. "For always being there for me."

Nolan looked back at her and smiled. "Right back at you." He brought his fist up.

May giggled and fist bumped back.

They talked for as long as they could by the flowers.

* * *

 **Please consider leaving a review! I love reading them and they are a great source of feedback and motivation** **!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'll Watch Your Back**

* * *

 **Author's Note: Writing this story has given me a new appreciation for all the authors on this site who keep a timely publishing schedule. Goddamn, is it hard. I am sorry that this chapter took as long as it did and now that uni's started again I can't promise new chapters will come any faster.** **But I can promise that I won't abandon this story. First fic after all, gotta make good impressions! I am also trying to make each and every chapter better than the last as I strive to become a better writer.**

 **Also thanks to my editor** **bekeleven, whose help makes this story significantly better. Much appreciated.**

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

The two metal bars were lined up in front of her, parallel to one another. She pushed herself up from her wheelchair to meet them, grabbing hold. She made sure her grip was strong and firm. Aoi was standing between the two metal bars, ready to catch her if she fell. But she didn't need her nurse's help. Not anymore.

May took a step.

Five weeks since her injury. Three were spent sleeping. Another, healing. The last? Struggling. Fighting.

Learning.

Another step forward.

Learning to walk again. Learning to cope.

A third step, and then a fourth. Right and left, left and right. Each step came without thought now. As simple as breathing. A rhythm her body had regained.

In several slow but sure strides, May crossed the length of the parallel bars. Aoi was in front of her each step of the way, walking backwards at the same pace. When May reached the end of the bars, Aoi's smile grew.

"Great job, dear!" Aoi exclaimed. "That's another perfect parallel bars exercise!"

May stood a little taller. A little bit more than a week of physiotherapy. Two weeks of medication. It had been hard, and it had taken time, but May was starting to regain her strength. Maybe even enough...

Aoi went back around while Nolan came by and passed her a water bottle.

"Good job, knew you could do it," he said.

"Thanks," she replied, "And thanks for dropping by again. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it."

Ever since her physiotherapy sessions had moved to the rehab room, Nolan had been dropping by to watch. It meant a lot, having him here. Fortunately, Aoi said it was okay to change the time of her rehab sessions so Nolan didn't have to skip any more classes.

"You think today's the day?" Nolan asked.

"Maybe. I'm going to see Dr. Robin now. He'll decide if I'm ready."

"Hopefully. Everyone misses you, and Roy really wants to cook that "Welcome Back" brunch."

May gave her partner a look. "Huh? Is that the real reason you want me out of here?" she teased.

Nolan stood to attention. "No Ma'am...But then again, it is _Roy's_ cooking."

She punched Nolan on the shoulder and chuckled before turning to see Aoi with her wheelchair.

"I'll catch you later?" she said.

"Of course, text us if you have any news."

"Okay."

May got back into her wheelchair and let Aoi push her out of the room. Aoi had insisted that she use the wheelchair when moving around.

It only took them two minutes to reach the examination rooms, Dr. Robin was already in one of them.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Zedong. How are we today?"

"Good sir, thank you." She answered. The doctor was dressed in his usual attire: a white lab coat over an orange sweater and beige khaki pants.

The room wasn't very big, not like the rehab room or even the hospital room she was staying in. It wasn't too crowded, but May still felt a bit uncomfortable. There was an examination table against the right wall, as well as few cupboards and shelves full of basic medical supplies and tools. Everything you would need for a quick checkup.

Dr. Robin was standing off to the side. He had his scroll in his hands and was poking and swiping away at it like always. "Please, take a seat," he said, gesturing towards the table.

May reached down and locked the brakes on her wheelchair. Standing up, she made her way to the examination table. The paper sheet that covered the table crinkled as she lifted herself onto it.

"Before we start I have a few questions for you," the doctor started. "Are you still dropping or knocking over objects?"

"Not as often."

"Okay. Does your neck hurt, especially on the left side?"

"Actually...yes, it does." She hadn't given it too much thought, but there was a small cramp in her neck.

"I see." Dr. Robin typed away at his scroll while listening to her answers. "Be mindful how often you turn your head," he cautioned. "Because of your injury you now have decreased peripheral vision so you may find yourself turning more. However, this can lead to muscle cramps. You'll eventually adjust to your new depth perception so keep working on it. "

A sense of dread creeped in, but May shook it away. "Okay, " she said.

"Now, today we're going to go over your charts and see how much progress you've made in the last few weeks." Dr. Robin poked and swiped his scroll a few more times.

"Let's see here...the physiological cross sectional area of your muscles has increased significantly since you've started physiotherapy and nutrient supplementation. As a result we've seen a proportional increase in the maximum tetanic tension generated by these muscles. This is particularly noticeable in your knee flexors such as the long head of the biceps femoris and your knee extensors such as the quadriceps."

The relentless string of medical jargon made her headspin. There were too many blanks between the words she knew for her to understand what the doctor had said.

She was pretty sure there was a blank look on her face too.

A soft cough drew both of their attentions to Aoi, who frowned at Dr. Robin.

"Ah right, pardon me," Dr. Robin apologized. "Your muscle volume and strength has gone up, almost back to the values from your last physical. We have also seen a rise in your Aura levels, which are now within 90% of your average score..."

May nodded, listening closely. She noticed that Dr. Robin was making an effort to maintain eye contact with her. He was speaking more slowly now and choosing his words more carefully. Aoi had told her that Dr. Robin sometimes forgets when he is speaking with students and not one of his colleagues.

But Aoi assured her that he was very capable.

"Dr. Robin?" She asked.

The doctor paused. "Yes Ms. Zedong?"

"Is it good?" May gave a hesitant smile. "The progress I've made?"

After all, Dr. Robin was the one who treated her after her injury.

"Good? Why, I would say you've made excellent progress," the doctor replied.

And that meant he was the one who could answer her question.

"Does that mean I can go back to class?"

Silence hung in the room. Dr. Robin stared at her intently, his eyes searching hers. The silence stretched on for one second, then two, then three. May stared back, meeting the doctor's gaze for what seemed like an eternity. But after a while she felt herself begin to fidget, begin to waver.

Finally, the doctor looked away, going back to his scroll again. May breathed a sigh of relief but the feeling was short-lived.

The doctor spoke again. "I will need to see your eye again before I can give you an answer."

A moment of hesitation. A flash of fear. _You've done this before. It was fine last time._ May gulped. "Okay."

Dr. Robin reached for one of the cabinets and pulled out a pair of disposable gloves. "Please remove your hat."

May reached for her beanie and slowly pulled it off her head. Strands of hair fell across her face. She brushed them away to the side. Dr. Robin came over after he had finished putting his gloves on and carefully began unwrapping the bandages.

 _This isn't the first time they've checked._ _It'll be okay._

The bandages were gradually peeled away from her head and eye; she could feel the layers of linen getting thinner and thinner. When the last of the bandages and gauze had been taken off, May felt the cold air of the room on her left cheek. May squeezed her beanie. Dr. Robin passed the old bandages and gauze to Aoi and leaned down to look at her.

"Can you try blinking?"

May blinked once, and a second time when Dr. Robin asked. Next, the doctor pulled out a small flashlight and shined it at her, asking her to track the light as he swung it back and forth. May looked left and right. There wasn't much she could see on her left. After the flashlight came another tool, one that was placed over her eye until it made a beeping noise. Dr. Robin took another look at her left eye before touching the skin around it.

"Does this hurt?" He asked her.

"No," she answered. She didn't feel anything at all.

"The good news is..." The doctor stood up and removed his gloves "...your ocular and eyelid muscles are intact, meaning your left eye can still blink in tandem with your right. Both eyes can also move together when tracking objects since the motor nerves in your left eye appear to have healed.

May waited for the doctor to tell her the rest.

"The bad news...is that the damage to your left cornea, sclera, and pupillary muscles has not healed, nor has your optic nerve recovered from the Death Stalker neurotoxins since we last examined. The scarring and lack of any build up of Aura in the region suggests that there is nothing more your body can do."

May let the words sink in. She hadn't expected anything different this time. She had already told herself that much. But why...why did it still hurt?

"Can I look?"

The doctor looked at her. "Are you sure?"

Finding her courage, May nodded. In the past, whenever Dr. Robin or Aoi had changed her dressing, she had never asked. Never wanted to. She was too afraid. But today had to be different. It had to be different if she really wanted to leave.

"I'm sure," she told him.

Dr. Robin nodded. "Nurse Tanaka, can you please bring her a mirror?"

Some more searching in the cabinets before Aoi walked over to her with a hand mirror. Her nurse bent down until the mirror was just at her level but still facing away. Aoi wasn't smiling this time. Instead she had another look of concern. "When you're ready, dear," she said.

"I'm ready," she told Aoi.

Aoi spun the mirror around and May heard a gasp. It was only later that she realized the sound came from herself.

Where gray-blue was supposed to be was now white. A sickly white. Opaque and cloudy. Useless.

Blind.

And surrounding it, like a twisted picture frame, were the scars. A shade of pink, lighter than her tan skin. The scars spread outwards from her eye, clawing at her eyebrow and corner of her eye.

With a trembling hand, May took the mirror from Aoi.

She blinked and the face in the mirror blinked as well. She turned her head left and right. Her left eye followed in line with her right like a lifeless shadow.

For the first time since her injury, May saw her whole face.

It was ugly.

 _She_ was ugly.

"Are you alright, dear?" The words were accompanied by a warm hand on hers.

"I'm...I'm fine."

Dr. Robin took a step forward. "The soft tissue has recovered enough that you will only need to keep it covered for a couple more days. There appears to be no complications either, and given your current physical state, you can leave the Infirmary Wing in two days at the earliest."

The doctor stared at her again. "If that is what you want, of course."

May stared down at the hand mirror. Her hands were still shaking. She gripped the mirror tightly in an effort to stop them. May closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them she met the doctor's gaze once more.

"It is."

A moment passed before the doctor smiled. May wondered if he had found what he had been searching for. "Alright, I'll notify the school. You can start getting ready to leave. You will be discharged Wednesday around noon."

Her mouth stretched into a wide smile. May could hardly believe what she was hearing. She was being allowed to leave. She wouldn't have to stay in bed anymore. She could go back to school. She could be with her friends again.

She could be a huntress again.

* * *

MZ: I have good news!

NP: news from the doctor?

MZ: Yup!

MZ: He said I can leave on wednesday! :D

NP: that's great!

NP: I'll tell the others!

* * *

May pulled her head through the top of her white t-shirt, slipping her arms through the sleeves and letting the bottom fall down her body. She pulled at the collar when it began to slide down her shoulder.

She pulled the collar closer and smelled. The scent of lemon still lingered on the clothes.

New clothes. _Her_ clothes. It was nice to be in them again.

She reached for her blue track pants next, which were on a coat hanger next to her hospital gown. She put them on, but noticed that they wouldn't stay up. May frowned at the pants. Were they always this loose? She quickly made the knot tighter before kneeling on the ground. As she began to fold up her pant legs, her hand brushed against the new ankle brace on her left foot.

May glanced down at it; black nylon and Velcro made for a stark contrast over her white sock.

A precaution, the doctor had told her, to lower the chances of re-injury.

Standing back up, May grabbed her white and red hoodie, putting it on and zipping it up halfway like she always did. She put on her beanie and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. A familiar person stared back at her. Touching the face in the mirror, May smiled slightly at first, but her hand drifted to where the bandages were.

A knock came from the door. "May, dear? Do you need any help?" Aoi asked her.

"No! I'm almost ready!" May put on her canvas sneakers and threw on her black scarf in a hurry. Grabbing her school bag, she opened the door to her hospital room.

Aoi was waiting for her there.

"How are the clothes your teammates dropped off? Do they fit?"

"Mhmm, they fit fine."

Aoi smiled. "That's great." Her nurse turned slightly and offered the crook of her arm. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes...I mean no...I mean..." _God, why was this so hard?_

Aoi looked puzzled. "Is something the matter?"

"No...it's just..." May twiddled her thumbs. Was the room always this warm? "...I wanted to thank you for all the help you gave me." May glanced up at Aoi. "A-and for taking care of me."

Aoi lowered her arm and took a step closer. May felt her heart beat against her chest, but she could have sworn it skipped a beat when her nurse stopped only a few centimeters away. There was a little glimmer in Aoi's eyes.

"Ehhhh?!" May squealed in shock when Aoi pulled her into a hug. She felt much, _much_ warmer now. Her hands wobbled awkwardly before eventually settling on Aoi's back. The hug felt really nice.

"Oh, you're going to make me cry!" Aoi pulled back from the hug, much to May's dismay. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "You're very welcome, dear."

The two of them walked to the Infirmary Wing's lobby, with May holding onto her nurse's arm for support. When they reached the lobby, May looked around for her teammates.

"Over here!"

May turned to see Nolan, Brawnz, and Roy waving at her. She smiled and waved back at her friends. Then May spun around and hugged her nurse again. "Goodbye, Aoi."

"Take care, dear," Aoi said, returning the hug.

After the embrace, May went to meet her friends. When she got close enough, Roy wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her in.

"Well isn't this a sight for sore eyes!" Roy laughed.

"Easy now. She's not even out of the hospital yet, do you want to send her back?" cautioned Brawnz.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." May said between laughs.

Nolan pointed at her school bag and offered a hand. "Are you sure?" She asked him.

"Don't worry about it," he answered. "Should we get going?"

May smiled and nodded. "Let's go."

May took the lead, walking towards the two automatic doors. They opened when she got close.

She took a deep breath. _One step. Just one more step._ May couldn't falter now.

May closed her eye and stepped forward, past the doors.

The first thing she saw was the sky. She'd looked up at the sky whenever Aoi took her out to the gardens. This time it looked bigger, bluer.

The four of them left the building. The dormitories where the Shade students stayed in were located on the other side of campus. This meant they had plenty of time to talk while they made their way across the school grounds.

"So when are you going back to class?" asked Nolan.

May turned right to face her partner. "Tomorrow. Dr. Robin said I should rest today."

"Have you talked to your teachers?" Brawnz asked from behind.

"Mhmm, I sent them messages," she replied. "They said I can do make-up tests later this month, but I might need to take some classes in the summer."

"That's fine," Nolan pointed a thumb at himself. "You can always ask us for notes."

Roy scoffed. "For a minute there I thought you were implying you took notes!"

"Yeah Nolan, we want her to do _well,_ don't we?" Brawnz chimed in.

Nolan put his hand on his chest and gasped. "I'm hurt!"

The rest of them laughed. This was nice. She'd missed this.

Nolan sighed and put his hands up. "Well, I guess we'll have to get someone else to help May with her studies." He put his hands behind his head. "Maybe your tutor, Brawnz?"

"Tutor?" May didn't know Brawnz had a tutor. In fact, she never noticed him having trouble in school at all. "Who is he talking abou-"

May stopped when she saw how red Brawnz had gotten.

"H-h-how the hell did you-?" Their team leader stuttered.

"It wasn't too hard. All I had to do was follow the giggling, _hehehe._ " Nolan's giggle for emphasis seemed to make Brawnz blush even more.

"Don't worry, since I'm such a good guy, I won't go telling anyon– Now, now...you don't have to overreAHHHHHH!" Nolan's words were drowned out by screaming when Brawnz started running after him.

"Get back here, Nolan!"

Roy was laughing even harder now.

"What's up with those two?" She asked him.

"Oh, nothing really." Roy took a moment to recuperate. "Brawnz asked a special someone to _tutor_ him. He didn't want too many people to know, but it seems Nolan found out."

"A special someone?"

"Ah," Roy mimicked zipping his mouth. "My lips are sealed."

May pouted at her teammate's response.

Her partner and leader made a few laps around the courtyard.

May sighed and shook her head. The boys were always getting into all kinds of antics.

Still.

May smiled softly as the dormitories came into view.

This was nice.

Branwz would later catch Nolan, putting him in a stranglehold while several students looked on in confusion. He finally let go after Nolan promised not to say a word to anyone. May patted Nolan on the back afterwards.

"You alright?"

"Haha, I'll survive."

They went inside, heading to their room on the third floor. It was lunch, so most of the students were still in the cafeteria. That was fine, May could see them later.

"Are you sure you want to take the stairs?" Brawnz asked her. "We could use the elevator."

"It's fine, I don't mind the stairs."

She climbed the flights of stairs to their floor. Her legs felt a little tired at the end, but that was fine too. It'll get easier.

A few more steps and turns before they reached their room.

May placed a hand on the doorknob.

All she needed to do was turn it, but something at the back of her mind was stopping her. She swallowed and looked back at her teammates. They were all looking at her, smiling, nodding, in a silent show of support.

May smiled and opened the door.

She briefly felt panic as her eye darted around the room, looking for anything out of place. Anything different.

Four beds in the room. Three along the right and center while another was farther out on the left. Shelves full of books and video games. A collection of junk food on one of the tables.

Everything was where it was suppose to be.

She walked into her room, cautiously at first, but then with more certainty. This was real, it wasn't going to go away. May wiped her eye with her sleeve.

She was finally here. She was _home._

She stretched out her arms and did a little spin before flopping down onto her bed.

"Miss your bed?" Nolan teased.

"You have no idea," she mumbled sleepily, her head was already in her pillow. There was a sort of bliss being in one's own bed after a long while away.

He chuckled. "We have something for you by the way. I think you'll like it."

May sat up straight on the bed. What did they have in mind?

Roy went off to one of the closets and pulled something out. It was a case of some kind, a familiar-looking one too. When Roy got closer, May instantly recognized what it was.

"My rifle!" She exclaimed, snatching the case from Roy and hugging it tightly.

"We kept it somewhere safe," Nolan said, "for when you got back."

"Sorry if it's not in the best of shapes," Roy began, scratching the back of his head. "None of us know how to clean a sniper rifle properly."

"Well, it's not like any of us use guns," Brawnz pointed out.

"Besides, that firearms maintenance class was _sooooooo_ early in the morning," Nolan groaned.

May laughed. "Thanks guys." She brought the case closer to her chest. "I love it!"

Her teammates all smiled.

"Welcome back, May."

* * *

 **If you liked this chapter, please ~Follow, Favorite, and Review~!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'll Watch Your Back**

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 **Author's Note: THIS. FIC. IS. BACK. It's been a long time, but I can confirm that I am still working on this fic. The rest of this story is planned out and I will make it until the end!**

 **If you liked this chapter, please ~Follow, Favorite, and Review~! I tried to apply the feedback I received in this chapter so if there was anything you liked or disliked or want to comment about please leave a review!**

 **Special thanks to /u/bekeleven for editing this chapter and for all the feedback they've provided me (especially for this chapter). Much appreciated.**

* * *

Chapter 5

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"Hello?"

That was strange. Where was everyone?

"Hello?" She called out into the haze, but was still met with silence.

May squinted, struggling to see in front of her. It was getting dark out. The sun was setting down in the horizon, casting an orange glow across the terrain. No brighter than a dying candle in the distance, it did little to pierce the murk.

"Is anyone out there?"

May looked down and saw sand around her feet. The desert? Why was she out here so late? She kept staring at the sand, hoping it would give her a hint. Jog a memory. What was she doing out here? Had she come with someone? Why was she alone?

No answers.

May kicked at the sand.

She turned to the horizon again. Sand dunes as far as she could see.

She took a few hesitant steps forward. She had no way of knowing where she was going. She had only one direction in mind.

Towards the sunset. West. Back to Shade hopefully. Back home.

"Nolan? Brawnz? Roy?"She called out."Are you guys there?"

A strong gust blew by, filling her ears with the sound of howling wind.

"Hello?"She called out again, louder.

"Can anyone hear me?"

Still no answer.

May trudged through the dunes, shielding her face as the sand lashed against it. She walked and she walked. In search of somebody, anybody. There had to be someone. She peered into the darkness in front of her. But the sun was getting dimmer, and all she saw was faint outlines of more sloped dunes.

How long had she been out here? How long had she been walking?

She searched for outlines of buildings or the lights of a settlement. But she found nothing. The horizon remain unchanged.

This couldn't be right. She couldn't possibly be alone out here.

Another gust of wind. She wrapped her arms around herself. When had it gotten so cold? Sharp, cold air nipped at her cheeks and filled her lungs. She could see her breath turning into little clouds each time she exhaled.

May pulled up her scarf and kept walking. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon. Its few remaining rays did little to warm her. What should she do now? Should she keep walking? No, she should stop. Make camp and rest for the night. Try to find her bearings, maybe use the stars and then...

May stopped. Stopped because she heard a sound that had been hidden by the howling wind. Hidden until it had gotten just close enough for her to hear.

 _Clack clack clack._

A terrifying chill went down May's spine, wicking away any warmth that remained in her body. She froze. Her heart was pounding against that icy grasp. This was a feeling she remembered.

Fear. An overwhelming sense of fear.

 _Clack clack clack._

The sounds were getting closer. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her hands were shaking. Her breathing quickened. There was a heaviness looming over her, threatening to crush her under its weight.

She had to get away.

 _S_ he had to run.

 _Run._

 _Run._

 _Run!_

Panic shot through her, jolting her legs into action. May ran as fast as they could carry her. It didn't matter where. Not anymore. Just not here, anywhere but here. She needed to put as much distance between herself and those sounds.

 _Run!_

 _Run!_

May was panting now. Her throat felt raw. Her hands were swinging furiously. Her legs were sore and her heart was beating frantically, but she kept running.

She ran and she ran and she ran. Throwing herself forward with as much energy as she could muster.

But the sounds were still there, and they were still getting closer.

 _Clack clack clack._

The sounds grew louder. Something was coming for her and there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to scream at it to leave her alone but she couldn't find her voice. Only a whimper escaped her lips. A frustrated, scared, pathetic whimper.

May closed her eye and prayed a pitiful, incoherent mantra in between ragged breaths.

 _Go away. Go away. Please go away. Please please please. Leave me alone. Please. Leave. Leave._

Wetness and sand stung her eye. What little she could see around her blurred as she darted through the desert. Fear and dread gnawed at every corner of her thoughts.

The sounds were right behind her. Ready to grab her at the heels.

 _Faster._

 _Faster!_

Then her left foot slammed into her right and the ground rushed up to meet her.

* * *

May jolted awake, her entire body convulsing. Her eye opened wide, locked onto the ceiling. She took short, urgent breaths while the beating of her heart resonated throughout her small frame. The sweat covering her skin began to cool.

 _In. Out. In. Out._ The rhythm of her breathing. That was all May could think about. The sound of her heart going _thump, thump, thump._ May laid in her bed, arms and legs strewn about, blanket loosely covering her, eye still pinned to the ceiling. She lay there, following her breaths one by one as they slowed back into a calmer pace.

Her breaths weren't as fast or shallow anymore. Her heart wasn't as loud.

May blinked.

It was a familiar ceiling.

She sat up on her bed. There was a throbbing pain in her left eye. She reached towards it, her hand cupping the bandages until the pain subsided. She wiped her face before turning to look at the rest of the room.

The windows were opened halfway, filling the room with a soft, blue light while its curtains fluttered in the breeze.

There were empty cans and bags of chips everywhere. The holo-screen was muted but still flashing. Roy was asleep on the ground next to it with a controller still in his hand. Nolan was also asleep, lying on the couch next to another controller. Brawnz was the only other person who was in their bed.

She caught a glimpse of the room's alarm clock. The digital display read 5:17 AM.

May pulled back the blanket that was covering her, revealing one of her white t-shirts and red shorts. The memories from the night before slowly came back as her brain booted up. Games, snacks, drinks.

 _Oh...the party._

May pulled off the rest of her blanket as she got out of bed. Another breeze, however, changed her mind and she quickly went back to retrieve it. She pulled the blanket towards her, but didn't see the teddy bear inside the folds until it had already fallen to the ground.

"Ahhhh..." May picked up the bear. "I'm sorry, Enoki." She cuddled the stuffed animal apologetically before returning him to the bed.

May wrapped the blanket around herself before walking over to the holo-screen. The game over message for Ninja Warriors 2 was still on the screen. It looked like Roy had lost.

May smiled before turning off the holo-screen and the old gaming console. She went over to Roy and Nolan's beds and picked up their blankets too.

"Don't worry, Roy," she whispered, covering him with his blanket, "You'll beat him one day."

She turned her attention towards her partner. Even asleep, he still had a grin on his face. May gave a sigh before throwing a blanket over him as well. The last thing these guys needed was a cold.

She made her way around the room next, picking up empty chip bags, discarded wrappers, and empty cans. If any of the professors knew what they were drinking last night they would be in trouble. She stuffed them into a garbage bag as quickly as she could, before heading off to clean out the other trash cans in the room.

"And...there," she said to herself after tying the top of the bag into a knot.

School rules said that every team had take care of their own chores, although students were always trying to find creative ways to get out of doing them. Their team decided to split up the chores equally so that everyone did their fair share and there wouldn't be any arguing.

This month was her turn to take out the trash.

May put her blanket away, picked up the bag, and started walking to the door.

She was just about to open it when she saw the calendar. The one where reminders and important dates were scrawled and underlined with different pens and markers. She focused on the notes for this week.

Tuesday, Laundry (Roy) - Wednesday, MAY WELCOME HOME PARTY (buy party stuff)– Thursday, Take out trash (May - **Nolan** )

 _Oh. Okay. Right. That made sense. I wasn't here._

May squeezed the garbage bag and stood staring at the calendar. She turned back towards the room, towards her teammates. They were all still sleeping soundly. Her hand hurt.

Nolan wouldn't mind if she took the trash out today, right? She had the time. He could sleep in. They went to bed later than her anyways. Besides Roy and Brawnz had a class at 8:00 AM and Nolan liked sleeping in on Thursdays since he had a later class. Yeah, she'd take out the trash. She didn't want to bother them.

May slipped on her hoodie and put on a pair of slippers so she wouldn't have to take off her ankle brace.

 _This'll only take a moment. It's not too much trouble, anyways._

She opened the door and stepped into the hallway, tiptoeing between the closed doors of the other rooms. She made sure to be as quiet as possible as she made her way down the hall. It was still early... _really_ early, so it didn't seem like there were any other students awake. One of the doors that she passed was Team NDGO's. There was a dry eraser board on it that read " **DORM SWEET DORM** " accompanied by four doodles of the girls.

 _Mental note: Remember to thank them for Enoki._

The floor they were on had a few bins for students to put away their trash and recycling. Those weren't too far from their room, which made things a lot easier. Still, the bag was a bit heavier than she had expected, and by the time she reached the bins she was starting to feel out of breath.

She made her way back to the room after dumping the garbage bags into the bins. The boys were still sleeping. A quick glance at the clock: 5:31 AM. Her first class was at 9:00 AM and it took her around 20 minutes to get ready and a little less than 10 minutes to get to her class.

3 hours to sleep.

May crawled into bed and closed her eye. She lay on her side, clutching Enoki to her chest.

There was enough time to sleep. Enough time to feel rested before class.

 _In. Out. In. Out._

May followed the rhythm of her breathing again, waiting for sleep to come to her.

A little while later she rolled onto her other side to make herself more comfortable.

A little while after that she pulled the blanket closer to her face.

 _Sleep will come at any moment._ But the moments dragged on and on and she stayed awake. Her body felt tired, but her thoughts...

Sand dunes. The darkness.

May rolled around again, leaving Enoki somewhere in the blanket folds.

She tried to push the thoughts away, make her mind go blank. To not think about anything. She tried to forget.

Yet the thoughts stayed with her. The darkness lingered in the back of her mind. And the sound...

She couldn't stop thinking about the sound.

There was a tightness in her chest, in her throat. She felt so cold.

 _In out in out in out in out in out._

Her heart rate was up. The pain in her left eye returned.

May abruptly got up and held her head in her hands.

"Just a dream..." She whispered, "it was just a dream."

May shook her head before looking up to check the time. It was 6:03 AM. Still more than 2 hours left...but she didn't want to sleep.

She got off her bed and reached under it. She could do something else in the meantime, wait for the others to wake up. May pulled out her rifle case and an old sheet.

 _I could clean my sniper rifle. Yeah. I should do that now._

She spread the sheet over the floor and placed the case on top of it. Sitting down, May placed a hand on the case, caressing the hard exterior. She hadn't opened it before the party, so this would be the first time in weeks since she saw her weapon.

May undid the latches on the case and opened it. Her sniper rifle was resting snuggly on top of the foam interior. Everything looked fine. There wasn't anything that seemed out of place.

She reached for the rifle but recoiled at the touch of the cold metal.

 _In. Out. In. Out._

A pause before she reached for it a second time.

May touched the rifle again and took more deep breaths. After a while, she picked it up and brought it into the sunlight. There were some new scratches. Some dirt, some grime, and sand too. Nothing serious, at least on the outside. Something could be broken or damaged on the inside. She would have to take a look to see.

She reached underneath her bed again and pulled out the cleaning kit she kept in the room. From it she took out a cleaning rag and began to wipe down her rifle. The rag was worn from use. Frayed at the edges and stained. But it was still good and after a few minutes her rifle was clean and the rag had a few more stains.

She had to start removing pieces next, to access the inside of the rifle. She detached the rifle's scope first and put it on the side. Then, she went to remove the takedown pin.

"Tch..." Her fingers fumbled over the pin. "Damn it."

It took a few more seconds before May got the pin out, separating the upper and lower receivers of the weapon from each other.

"Bolt carrier...charging handle..." May whispered, making a list of every part she removed. When she had removed all the parts she needed to she wiped down the inside of the rifle with the rag. There were now some fresh violet stains on the rag along with more grains of sand.

Her weapons maintenance professor told her class that most people say to only clean a long distance sniper rifle when you need to, and never more. He also joked that most people have never been to Vacuo.

May took out a cleaning rod and added some Dust solvent to the brush at the end. More than a few drops missed the brush and fell onto the sheet below her. May felt something ugly at the back of her throat as she wiped the mess with the rag.

She reached under her bed again, pulling out an old soda bottle, and stuck it onto the muzzle of her rifle. A trick to prevent anything splashing out of that end of the gun.

With that done, the huntress prepared to insert the cleaning rod into the rifle bore. Usually this would be quick, in and out, but this time May couldn't keep the rod steady. Her hand was shaking a lot.

May brought her arm down and clasped her hands together.

"Calm down." She said under her breath. "Just...calm down."

More breaths. She swallowed before trying again. On her third try she managed to insert the cleaning rod into the rifle bore, pushing it all the way through until the brush passed out of the muzzle. When she was sure the brush had exited the gun, May reversed directions. The brush and rod made a squeaking sound as it made its way through the bore either direction. May flinched at the sound. She shook her head and glanced at her teammates. They were still sleeping.

May inserted the cleaning rod five more times, and each time she held her breath. Each time the rifle squeaked she could feel a pang and her heart rate rising.

 _I shouldn't be like this._

 _This should be easy._

After May was done she let the rifle sit for a few minutes while she replaced the cleaning rod's brush with a small square piece of cotton fabric cut from one of her old white t-shirts.

She slid the cleaning rod back into the rifle and watched the cotton become stained with violet as it collected the Dust particles left behind by her ammo. It was important to avoid Dust build up in a weapon, especially a long range rifle like hers. Inconsistent shots. Maybe even have her rifle blowing up in her face. Not good. Not safe. Her weapon had to be ready. It was bad when things weren't ready.

When May was done with the bore she moved to the chamber and the upper receiver. Using a smaller cleaning rod, a smaller brush, and more pieces of old t-shirts she cleaned out the Dust particles there too. Another wipe with the rag before May slid the charging handle back into the upper receiver. She pushed it in until there was a clicking sound.

The lower receiver and bolt carrier were last. May added drops of oil to the trigger, the safety selector, and any pieces made of steel. She inspected each part of the bolt carrier group, like the firing pin and the Dust key, wiping them down and making sure there was no wear and tear. She added some more lubricant before putting the pieces back together. The pieces were small and the tremble in her hands forced her to take longer than normal to put the whole thing back into her rifle. The satisfying sound of the bolt carrier group fitting in place was a small reward for how much time she spent working on it.

May pulled the small lever on the side of her rifle and the weapon's axe-blade sprung forward. She looked at the edge. Dull and blunt in a few places. A part of it was chipped, probably from when she blocked the...

More memories. More fear.

May pulled the lever again, drawing the blade back into the rifle's stock.

 _I don't have the tools anyways. I'll go to the workshop. Just not today._

She reconnected the upper and lower receivers together, re-inserting the takedown pin and securing it. Lastly, she reattached the scope.

 _Done._

May recalled her list, making sure every piece was where it should be. Making sure there was no magazine, she got into a kneeling stance and looked through her scope

She took a few more deep breaths before aiming at the door.

 _Safety, On._

May squeezed the trigger, but it didn't budge. Working as intended.

 _Safety. Off._

She flipped the safety and looked down the scope again.

 _Shoot._ She pulled the trigger and it gave way, making a clicking sound. No shot fired, obviously. She smiled briefly and mimicked the upward motion of recoil. _Hit._

May sat back down on the sheet, her back leaning against the side of her bed. She brought the rifle close to her chest and clutched it tightly. She stayed like that, staring at the door. A few minutes later she looked back at the clock. The time was now 7:17 AM.

May brought her hand up to her mouth and yawned. A glance at her teammates while she tried to blink the yawn away. Still sleeping.

 _Maybe...maybe I can rest for a moment. Yeah…that sounds nice._

May wrapped her arms even tighter around her rifle as her eyelid became heavier and heavier.

 _Just for a minute..._

Slowly, May closed her eye.

* * *

" _May..."_

Something was shaking her. Someone?

 _"May...May, wake up..."_

She felt something poking her cheek.

May opened her eye.

"Hey...are you alright?"

Blinking, May focused on who was in front of her.

"N-Nolan? I'm...I'm okay," she managed to say. "What's happening?"

"It's time to wake up. You have class today, don't you?" Her partner asked.

May's eye widened.

"Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no."

She jumped up, panic quickly growing in her. Nolan caught her by the shoulders.

"Whoa, why are you in such a hurry?" Nolan gestured backwards towards the clock behind him.

May looked at the time. 8:20 AM.

"Hey...are you sure you're alright?" Nolan seemed to search for her eye, but she looked away.

"Mhmmm. I'm fine," she replied. "Just got a little scared. That's all."

A small laugh from Nolan. "Relax. It's not like everyone shows up to class on time anyways."

May smiled and nodded.

"Also..." Nolan stepped back and pointed towards her. "I've been meaning to ask...when did you have time to clean your rifle?"

May looked down. She was still holding her sniper rifle, knuckles white.

"Oh. I woke up early. It's been a while since I've cleaned it anyways."

"Yeah I guess," Nolan scratched his head. "We were just surprised to see you asleep with your rifle when we woke up."

May kneeled down to put her rifle back in its case. The cleaning kit had already been put away.

"Sorry about the mess," May said. After securing the latches, she returned her rifle case to its place under her bed.

"I should be the one thanking you for taking out the trash," Nolan replied.

"Mmmm, it was nothing. Besides you guys have done so much for me already."

May went to collect her things. Hopefully the bathrooms weren't too full. She should take a shower before heading to class. Searching through her drawers, she found her blue tracksuit pants, a clean white T-shirt, and a few other pieces of clothing she quickly hid inside the bundle in her arms. Co-ed rooms weren't all they were cracked up to be. She figured Team NDGO didn't have to deal with the same problems.

"Did Roy and Brawnz head to class already?" She asked.

"Yup. I was just about finished getting ready myself when I noticed you hadn't woken up yet."

"I'm sorry...thanks again."

That was weird, normally Nolan sleeps in a bit later.

"What classes do you have today?" He asked her.

"Grimm Anatomy 316." She picked up her toothbrush and shampoo. "Then target practice after that."

A roll of bandages was the last thing she had to take with her. She put it into the pocket of her hoodie. After making sure she had everything, May turned around just in time to see Nolan putting her notebooks into a Shade school bag.

"Everything you need for today's classes should be in here. Also a snack bar for breakfast and a lunch Roy made for you." May watched as Nolan closed the bag and put his hands on his hips triumphantly.

"You guys didn't have to," she said. "Really, this is too much."

"No, no." He waved a hand at her. "We wanted to do this," Nolan grinned. "You just got back anyways, you should take it easy for now. You don't have to worry about chores if it's too much. We can-"

"No!"

She had said the word louder than she meant to. She couldn't meet Nolan's eyes so she looked at her feet.

"It's fine, really. I can handle it. I don't want to trouble you guys."

"May...you're the last one who would be trouble," Nolan said softly. "We're just here to help."

"I know." She finally raised her head to look at Nolan. "I have to get ready. Are you staying here until your class?"

"Oh me? I'm going to head to the gym first." So early? That was something new.

"Mmm, okay. I'll see you later then."

"See you." Nolan waved goodbye.

May opened the door and started making her way to the bathroom. Unlike a few hours ago, there were now several students in the hallway getting ready for the day or heading to class. A pit was forming in her stomach, but May forced herself to smile.

She was back and nothing would change that.

Everything was going to be okay.

* * *

 **Please consider leaving a review! I love reading them and they are a great source of feedback and motivation!**

 **Note:** Enoki is a type of mushroom


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